In general, the present disclosure relates to a blood analysis apparatus and a blood analysis method. To put it in more detail, the present disclosure relates to a blood analysis apparatus for detecting echinocytes contained in blood and relates to a blood analysis method for the apparatus.
A process of generating a number of protrusions on the surface of a red blood cell is referred to as a serration. An echinocyte is one result of the serration. 10 to 30 protrusions exist on an echinocyte. The edge of each protrusion is sharp-pointed. The distribution of the protrusions and their lengths are all but uniform.
Some echinocytes exist also in the blood of a healthy person. It is known, however, that some diseases increase the number of echinocytes existing in the blood. Typical diseases increasing the number of echinocytes existing in the blood include the liver function disorder, uremia and gastric cancer. In addition, when taking an immune suppressing drug or after transfusion of stored red blood cells, the number of echinocytes existing in the blood also increases in some cases. On top of that, with regard to the stored blood, when the concentration of the EDTA (Ethylene Diamine Tetra Acetate) is too high or the storage time has been long, it is known that the red blood cells are subjected to the serration.
With regard to the echinocyte, “Effects of an Ionophore, A23187, on the Surface Morphology of Normal Erythrocytes,” American Journal of Pathology, 1974, Vol. 77, No. 3, pp. 507-518 (hereinafter referred to as Non-patent Document 1) reports the fact that echinocytes have been obtained by processing a type of an ionophore, which selectively passes on divalent cations to a biological film, in red blood cells. In this case, the type of the ionophore is A23187.